1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a holder and a holder base having a wedge and, more particularly to a holder and a holder base capable of fixing an optical object by closely making contact with both sides of the object.
2. Description of the Related Art
An optical fiber block includes a block having a plurality of V-grooves at an upper surface thereof for mounting an optical fiber array and a glass lid for covering the optical fiber array coated with epoxy. The main function of optical fiber block is to connect an optical fiber ribbon to an input terminal or an output terminal of a planar waveguide device.
A waveguide device includes a waveguide for providing a traveling route for a light and a clad surrounding the waveguide, such that the light only passes through the waveguide. In particular, the waveguide device comprises a photo-semiconductor having a light waveguide, a clad stacked on a semiconductor substrate, and an optical fiber having a circular light waveguide and a clad surrounding the light waveguide.
The above described optical fiber blocks or planar waveguide devices have a high brittleness so it can be broken easily during the alignment process, in which a precise fixation is required. That is, an optical object can be easily broken if an excessive amount of fixing force is applied thereto. At the same time, if the fixing force is not adequate, the object can not be securely fixed.
FIG. 1 is a view showing a conventional method for aligning an optical fiber block 130 using a vacuum chuck mechanism 110. As shown in FIG. 1, a pipe 120 connected to a vacuum pump (not shown) is buried in the vacuum chuck 110. The output terminals of the pipe 120 are exposed to an upper surface 112 of the vacuum chuck 110. Accordingly, when the vacuum pump is operated, the optical fiber block 130 is fixed to the upper surface 112 of the vacuum chuck 110.
However, above-mentioned aligning method tend to cause a vibration due to uneven vacuum pressure, so the alignment of the fiber block 130 cannot be maintained securely. In addition, it is difficult to secure an object to the upper surface 112 of the vacuum chuck 110 if the lower surface of the object making contact with the upper surface 112 of the vacuum chuck 110 is uneven.
FIG. 2 is a view showing another conventional aligning method for an optical fiber block 260 using a fastening chuck mechanism 210. As shown in FIG. 2, the fastening chuck 210 includes a body 220, a protrusion 230, a pressing part 240, and a screw 250. The optical fiber block 260 is aligned between the pressing part 240 and the protrusion 230. In this state, the optical fiber block 260 is fixed using the force provided by the screw 250 on the pressing part 240. However, this aligning method requires a fine adjustment of the screw 250 during operation as the optical fiber block 260 can be broken easily if too much pressure is applied by the screw 250.
FIG. 3 is a view showing another conventional aligning method for an optical fiber block 360 using a pressing chuck mechanism. As shown in FIG. 3, the pressing chuck 310 includes a base 320, a supporting part 330, a pressing part 340, and a spring 350. The optical fiber block 360 is aligned between the supporting part 330 and the pressing part 340. This aligning method uses an elastic restoring force of the spring 350. However, the force applied to an object to be fixed vary depending on the weight of the object, thus the fixed object can be unsteady according to the forced applied to the object.
As described above, the conventional aligning methods have drawbacks. Therefore, when carrying out an automatic aligning operation using the conventional method, an additional component, such as a positioning apparatus or a position detecting sensor, is required to prevent the object from colliding with other components during the alignment process.